Campaign Session Notes
Centuries have passed, and in our current time, vampires are appearing near the edges of civilization, Drow are embarking on riskier ventures to the surface, and the Shadowfell is growing in power and encroaching into the Material Plane. The King of the Diamond Throne has ordered reinforcement of current keeps and castles, construction of new keeps, and reconstruction of older ancient locations in anticipation of an upcoming assault by the Imperium of Life. Session 1 The party joined together as a caravan guard within the Barony of Redwater, learning to trust each other in battle, they discovered an ancient trove of treasures under a hanged man, helped place Rochel as chief among the orc tribe Bloodyfoot, set up trade relations between the Kobolds of Iron Hold Keep and the village of Fanon, and rescuing numerous children from what seemed to be bugbear slavers. Starting on the first day of Leaffall, the High-Harvest Festival has just come to a close and grander adventure awaits. The party drinks around a table at the Glimerton Inn, hearing rumor of an increase of Kobold activity at Iron Hold Keep, and the Orcs of the Bloodyfoot tribe having difficulty with their hunting, as larger game is appearing near the fringes of their land. At first dismissing these claims as unimportant, they later decide to travel to Fanon to see what has developed. Discovering that the Kobolds have started taking farm animals more often, they head to Iron Hold Keep. Upon arriving at Iron Hold Keep, the party sees an array of light coming from the cracks in the tower. Upon speaking with the Kobolds, they discover that something has appeared, and in order to appease it, they have been feeding it livestock rather than performing sacrifices to their god, Takhisis. Working out a deal, the Kobolds agree to pay the party if they can kill the creature. Venturing to the lower levels of the keep, the party is beset by Shadows, Darkmantels, and finally, a Manticore from the Shadowfell. Defeating these creatures, the Kobolds gratefully celebrate through the night. Session 2 The following day, the party returns to Glimerton to rest before traveling to the Bloodyfoot Tribe. Upon waking, Aiyu is found in a deep sleep and won’t awaken. The rest of the party, having dealt with this before now, continue without them. Heading southwest, the party is attacked by a pair of giant boars. After defeating the boars, they continue on their way till they reach the current camp of the Bloodyfoot Tribe. Purchasing a few goods, they see a hunting party returning, curious, they head to the chieftain's tent and speak with Rochel. Rochel asks for assistance in the slaying of a Bulette that has recently assaulted her hunters. Agreeing to help, the party stays the night before being lead by a pair of scouts. Encountering the Bulette, it instantly slays one of the scouts, though Uraelle deeply wounded the creature with their first attack. After defeating the creature, the party hauls it back for their reward before heading to Glimerton to rest before shopping. The innkeeper overhears that the party is looking for work, and mentions how people in Tadium have started disappearing again, this time adults and children. Taking a day to shop, the party heads out the next day, reaching Tadium and spending the night with Hari. Andr’el receives a sending message from Master Proclin, mentioning an magical artifact in the area that needs to be recovered before the 20th of Leaffall, the Decanter of Furias. Session 3 The following morning, the party speaks with the village elder, mentioning the disappearances happen along the road. While investigating, the party is ambushed by a group of bugbears. After defeating them, they find a note leading them towards the hills; the same hills they rescued the kidnapped children from. Finding a cave entrance surrounded by cages the party frees numerous prisoners before heading inside. They come across a fire and two arguing bugbears, one of which appears to be the chief, standing near a crude door in the back of the cave. Not understanding what either is saying, the party fails to sneak up on them, but deals with them in time. Taking a short rest to heal, the party then continues through the door, following a passageway for nearly a half hour before hearing cries of anguish coming from farther down. After another half hour of travel, the party comes across a small cavern with an iron cage at one wall filled with prisoners, and a drow guarding them. Sneaking behind the drow, the party quickly disables the drow and frees the prisoner. The party discusses traveling further down the tunnels and deeper into the underdark when Andr’el then tells them of a message received from Proclin. Session 4 Deciding to return to Tadium, the party spends the night at Hari’s once more. Come the morning they head to the elders house and receive a sealed letter that can be turned in for a reward at the guard tower in Rubicon. Taking the day to travel to Glimerton, they come across Aiyu, who had spent their time performing various guard duties for caravans. Xael collects his new paints at the general store and the party stays night at the Glimerton Inn. During the night, Xael sneaks back to the general store and begins stealing some healing potions in the guise of a dwarf. Unfortunately, he made a loud sound, alerting the shop owner to his presence and absconded with fewer potions than intended. After stashing his goods, Xael sneaked back into town under his normal appearance, where he encountered a night patrol investigating the robbery, though they do not suspect him. The following morning, the party departs for Rubicon. With no encounters on the way, the party heads to the guard tower to receive a reward before turning in for the night. Aiyu, wishing to procure a saddle they can ride in while sleeping, gets help from both Xael and Andr’el in the theft. With Andr’el playing the lookout, Xael and Aiyu sneak to the leather-workers shop, but in an attempt to knock him out with a drow sleeping poisoned bolt, the shop owner sees Aiyu before falling unconscious. Convincing Aiyu to retrieve the saddle while Xael recovers the bolt, Xael slits the throat of the leather-worker. A patrol approaches the building after hearing reports of a noise, knocking at the door. Andr’el creates a distraction by casting a spell on a nearby building, allowing the two inside to escape and return to the inn. After the guards kick-in the door and observe that the shop owner is dead, Andr’el sneaks off before he can be found and the party heads to rest. The next morning, the party travels through the rain and heads to Mervin’s Magical Muftis, owned by Mervin, who leads the party to the Glass Cannoneer where they meet up with Joga. Joga speaks with the party, aware of Proclin's desires, Joga helps the party plan for the heist of the Decanter of Furias, a dangerous artifact, from the Redwater estate. Xael takes up a position to watch the guard rotation as Joga procures some sleeping bombs and two invitations to a private party being held in the next few days. With Andr’el and Tazlynn attending the party, the remaining members sneak through a side entrance and make their way to the wine cellar unnoticed. Bypassing the locked door, they take the decanter, but not before removing the ward attached to the pedestal it rests on. The infiltrating members then escape the manor without notice.decanter to Joga, receiving a payment for the services. While still attending the party, the Redwaters discover the theft. Andr’el then confesses his party performing the crime, and both he and Tazlynn are taken away to the guard tower. Xael, witnessing this event, sends the other two off to the hanged-man tree they encountered weeks back, hoping to find some way of freeing the other members of the party. Though while being interrogated, Tazlynn gives a description of all those involved in the theft. Session 5 Five days pass after the robbery. Andr’el and Tazlynn remain imprisoned within the Guard Tower, near the center of Rubicon.They are visited once on the second day by the Guard Captain, asking for additional information regarding the artifact stolen, and where it currently is, though no additional information is given. Xael, meanwhile, stakes out the guards, is imprisoned under the pretenses of being drunk, and attempts to get within the Guard Tower as a painter, all while disguised as either an old homeless man, or various humans. Uraelle and Aiyu flee to Glimerton, where they try to locate a fence to purchase the stolen wine. Not finding one, they travel to Mali’bu, and settle on selling the wine to a local restaurant, under pretense to sell them additional wines and setting up a distribution center at Glimerton. The two travel back to Glimerton that evening, then set-out to Rubicon the following day. A massive storm intervenes, forcing them to stop half-way through their travels and take shelter from the wind and hail. In Rubicon, Xael disguises himself as a homeless person and finds shelter within the Guard Tower. Andr’el attempts to escape by freezing the lock, but the iron proves to be stronger than expected. Once the storm passes, the guards head out within the town to perform a relief effort, clearing debris and ensuring people are safe, largely keeping the tower unguarded, as Uraelle and Aiyu continue their travels. However, everyone is ambushed by drow and forced into a deep sleep through various poisons before being taken to Velkynvelve, a drow slave outpost, while unconscious. Six days they remain imprisoned, gathering materials to escape and meeting their fellow prisoners; Sarith Kzekarith, a disgraced male drow; Eldeth Feldrun, a female dwarf scout from Daramir; and Topsy and Turvy, twin deep gnomes with Topsy being the more social of the pair. On the seventh day, the party is split to perform menial tasks, when Ilvara Mizzrym, drow priestess and commander of Velkynvelve, approaches taunting one of the groups. Xael becomes over exited, throwing a rock at Ilvara, initiating their “plan” to escape. Nearly a minute later, and the battle is won, with Asha Vandree, the junior priestess escaping with Jorlan Duskryn, Ilvara’s former lieutenant and lover. The party takes a moment to rest, gather supplies, and find their equipment before deciding to follow Sarith to Neverlight Grove. Session 6 The party travels through the underdark following their guide, Sarith, as he leads them through the maze of tunnels, chimneys, and tight squeezes. Xael quickly loses his food and water supplies, but with no pressure to be hasty, Tazlynn and Eldeth are able to gather supplies as they travel. The walls for the first five days glow with a slowly pulsing red hue. After four days, they reach a small cavern filled with a variety of mushrooms; fire lichen, barrelstalk, torchstalk, and nightlight. With barrelstalk and fire lichen available, the party gathers many days worth of food and water. As they camp for the night, they are attacked by a band of goblin slaves, though they make quick work of them. The next day, they run across some ruins underground. Xael decides to taste the ruins, finding them slightly wet from his saliva. Uraelle searches through the ruins, coming across a few unusual artifacts; A bronze pentacle, a silver badge, a book telling tale of a fallen hero, and a sketch of a mechanical device. After searching the ruins, for a few minutes after, Uraelle can’t help but be impressionable. As the party passes through the ruins, Uraelle gains an odd fixation to the bronze pentacle, believing it to be a lucky charm, that passes in a few hours. Two days afterward, they encounter a voice speaking within their minds. It warns them of the faerzress, the glowing red walls, and its effects from being exposed for too long, as well as the presence of demons within the underdark, before leaving with a final mention to contact the Society of Brilliance if they require assistance. As they get closer to their first destination of Sloobludop, the party spots a pack of escaped goblin slaves and attack before they see the party, making short work of them. A day later, they are assaulted by a band of kuo-toa that attack without prejudice. After the fight is finished, Xael cooks up a kuo-toa while they rest, and another band approaches, though this one is lead by Ploopploopeen, Archpriest of Bilbdoolpoolp the Sea Mother, who tells the party of the problems at Sloobludop, asking for help. Leading them to his abode, he recounts his plan to offer the party as a “sacrifice” before turning on his daughter, Bloppblippodd and overthrowing the new god Leemooggoogoon the Deep Father, and offers to pay them handsomely in coin, pearls, and fish intestines. The party accepts and takes a day to prepare for the event. Ploopploopeen leads the party to the altar to the Deep Father, and feints interest in joining their worshipers. At the top of the dais, as the party is about to be sacrificed, Ploopploopeen attacks his daughter and a fight breaks out between the kuo-toa. Topsy and Turvy are slain in the coup, and as Bloppblippodd dies, a disturbance can be seen off of the water, as the Demon Lord Demogorgon rises from the Darklake's depths. The kuo-toa stop their fighting, and begin prostrating, chanting in unison the name of their new god. The party, seeing fit to flee, head to the boats, but Tazlynn is fixated and in awe of the appearance of the Demon Lord, and cannot move on her own. Uraelle returns for Tazlynn and carries her to the boats, where they row away, watching Demogorgon laying waste to the city of Sloobludop. The kuo-toa guides within the boats eventually snap to their senses, and helps guide the party across the Darklake towards Neverlight Grove. Session 7 After escaping Demogorgon, the party travels across the Darklake in two boats. On their first day of travel, they encounter an aquatic troll swimming among some submerged stalagmites. One of the boats runs upon the rocks, but stays afloat, and the troll is quickly dealt with, a leg left as a trophy. A few days later, a traveling kuo-toa is encountered, whom Xael trades the trolls leg for a fish-hook knife carved from a large fish bone. The party travels along the waters for a few more days before they run into a suddenly low ceiling. While attempting to navigate from the area, they are beset by a group of marrow attempting to flip the boats. The party thwarts their plans, surviving the attack and continue on their way. Session 8 The following day, darkmantles descend from the ceiling as the party is sucked towards a whirlpool. The party quickly dispatches the conical tentacled creatures, and the boat containing Tazlynn, Uraelle, and Eldeth bypasses the whirlpool without any issues. Xael, Andr'el, and Sarith are not as fortunate, unable to push themselves away. Giving it some thought, a plan is formed, and the three steer the boat further into they eye, nearly capsizing before rocketing out of the whirlpool. After a few days rest, a grouping of ixitxachitl approach the boat. The mataray shaped beings attempt to eat the underside of the hull, when Xael captures one on a hook. Using telepathy, he attempts to instruct the beings to pull their boats, but is met only with images of the creatures rending the parties flesh deep underwater. Xael responds by furiously stabbing the creature, and is met with visions of Demogorgon in all his glory. In fear of the demon lord hiding in the shadows, and not wanting to face such horrors, Xael then proceeds to blind himself by casting light upon his own eyes. Cowering in the prow of the boat, he placed out his hand seeking assurance that all would be alright, to be met with the slimy flipper-hand of their boats guide to comfort him. A few days later, Xael recovering from the temporary blindness, Category:Current Campaign